The ramblings of a veteran teacher, scientist, parent, and techie

Reading Fiction

I haven’t always been an avid reader. In fact, over the years, I was often distracted by shiny gadgets and interactive toys tools to the point that I wouldn’t read anything beyond a blog post for months at a time. Note: the issue of whether reading on the web counts as reading is the subject for a much longer post at a later time.

But, for the past few years a new reading dichotomy has emerged in my life: I tend to read education and science (nonfiction) books with an eye toward annotating, integrating, teaching, and writing. When I need a mental break, however, I look to young adult fiction, specifically dystopian fantasy and science fiction. If you share similar interests, here is what I have read (and loved) recently:

The Predator Cities series by Philip Reeve

Fantastic stories set in a distant future after an apocalyptic war has destroyed must of civilization and those that survive are mostly aboard mobile cities that scour the surface of the Earth eating one another according to a philosophy known as Municipal Darwinism. If you read the first book, Mortal Engines, you won’t be able to stop until you read all four (and possibly not until after you pick up the Fever Crumb prequel series).

Wool by Hugh Howey

Originally published as a gaggle of short serials, I recommend picking up the omnibus version that tells the entire story of the first book. Then, pick up the omnibus of Shift, the second book. Like Reeve, Howey knows how to build an immersive world that you never want to let go of. The Wool omnibus is a Potter-esque 800 pages, but the story is SO powerful.

I have a few more that I’ve been into, but I’ll share those in future posts. What are you reading? And why?